


Immortal

by the_fox333



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dark Magic, Fantasy, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 18:50:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8458972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_fox333/pseuds/the_fox333
Summary: Formerly a short story consisting of only the first chapter, something a friend said prompted me to expand upon it- and expand I will. Chapters 1-5 will be exposition, and then the real adventure can begin.





	1. Immortal

_"Test."_

The command word rang out, and every rune, glyph, and pentacle glowed a vibrant red. Nicodemus smiled and nodded to himself. He had never doubted his abilities, but it never hurt to be sure. It often helped, in fact. Lifting a hand, he spoke the next command.

_"Call."_

The centermost pentacle glowed blue, and a beam of white light shot upwards with a light tinkle. Nicodemus' fellows tested him for his aesthetic touches and simple, straightforward command words, but he payed them no mind. Who had the time to listen when your research was as cutting-edge as his was?

The beam dissipated, revealing a man dressed in torn clothing slumped on the floor. He blinked, looking around, then jumped to his feet. "Who are you!?" he cried. "Why am I here!?"

Nicodemus sighed. "It won't matter for long, but I'm Doctor Nicodemus Nalset of the Royal Sorcerer's Guild. You're here because you are of great value to us."

"I don't understand," the man shook his head. "Why me? I'm just a shopkeeper. What could the Darks- could you possibly want from me?"

"Not you specifically," Nicodemus clarified. "Your body, actually. You know, that bag of flesh and blood your mind calls home?" Holding up his glyph-painted hands, he began performing the stomatic components of the spell. Runes glowed in the main pentacle, and the chamber was filled with a him as the absorption glyphs readied themselves.

"You see, Doctor Markento and I have an agreement," Nicodemus continued. " _Nelorem Kulnaga._ " His peers didn't realize his command words were proportionally mysterious to the significance of the spell. "He needs corpses for his experiments, but most deaths are too... messy." The hum clicked up to a low whine. " _Xelaru Tenolida._ So we made a deal. He gets the body-"

Nicodemus raised his hand, then snapped. The man was forced into a t shape and held there unable to move, his eyes wide with terror.

" _And I Get The Blood._ "

The two small pentacles on the walls that the man's arms were now pointing to glowed a blinding crimson. Streams of sparkling red gas shot from his fingertips, and his complexion grew steadily paler until his horrified face was whiter than a sheet. The glows all over the room faded, except for a brilliant scarlet handprint floating before Nicodemus. Placing his hand against it, he felt the energy flow through his hand and up to the rest of his body, his ears ringing faintly as the man's life force mixed with his own.

 _"Send,_ he declared, and the center pentacle once more emitted its beam, carrying the lifeless body to Doctor Markento's hilltop castle. Waving to deactivate the ritual, Nicodemus shook his head as he strode out of his pentacle. He had never been able to understand his colleague's obsession with necromancy. After all, why create a facsimile of life when you could have infinite for yourself?


	2. Sway

_Still. Be still, but not rigid. Become as one with the trees. Sway gently. Bend with the wind, but do not break. Sway._

"Terr, are you doing those dumb stretches again?" Ka's voice cut through Terr's concentration, and they toppled to the ground.

"Ka, you _k'zist_!" Terr shouted in fustration. "I was just getting it!" In a surge of anger, they lashed out at their younger brother, smacking him across the face.

Ka's eyes widened, and tears welled up and began to flow down his cheeks. "MOTHER!" he shrieked. "TERR HIT ME! SHE HIT ME AND CALLED ME A _K'ZIST_!" Ka and Terr's mother stepped out of their house, fingers sparkling with interrupted magic.

"They, dear," she reminded Ka. Terr glared at him. "Is this true, Terr?" she asked patiently. Terr nodded, ashamed, and their mother sighed. "Violence may seem easy, Terr," she shook her head, "but it is never the right thing. You must be in control of your emotions, lest they control you." She laid a hand on Ka's cheek, and when she drew it back a moment later, the red mark was gone. "Terr is sorry, Ka," she said softly, and Ka wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffed.

"Thank you, Terr," he nodded, lightly running his hand over the healed spot. "I'm sorry for messing up your druid practice. I hope you get to be a really good druid someday, just like Elder Kuathon." Waving to his sibling, Ka disappeared into the house. Terr's mother smiled and did likewise, the windows acquiring a faint glow as she resumed her ritual. Terr straightened and closed their eyes, clearing their mind of the altercation.

_Still. Be still, but not rigid. Become as one with the trees. Sway gently. Bend with the wind, but do not break. Sway._

"Elder, why do people hurt the world?" Terr asked one day between stances. Elder Kuathon smiled, the corners of his eyes creasing. Carefully, he removed his staff from the ground, the small roots it had grown in only an hour retracting.

"You know not everybody shares our views, Terr," he reminded. "Some people seek only to make a name for themselves, with no care for the world their children will live in."

"Yes, Elder," Terr nodded, frowning, "but how? How can even other elves be so inconsiderate? Don't they know that all of nature, ourselves included, is connected?"

"Some do not agree," the Elder sighed. "I have been many places in my life, and I have seen much greed and corruption. Many people believe they are above consequences, or that the rights they do outweigh the wrongs. It is our job as emissaries of nature to correct them and bring balance to the world."

Terr nodded. "Very well. Thank you for your wisdom, Elder." Standing fully upright again, they assumed the next stance, Whispering Willow.

"You know the exercise, Terr."

"Yes, Elder."

_Still. Be still, but not rigid. Become as one with the trees. Sway gently. Bend with the wind, but do not break. Sway._

"Terr! Terr, where are you!?" Terr's heart pounded a thousand miles a minute, screams and coarse shouts coming from every direction. The village center glowed orange, and figures could be seen silhouetted by the blaze, some running, some pursuing. There was no time. They needed to focus, to tune it all out. It was their only chance.

"Terr! Terr, my beloved! Terr, please be safe! Where are you!?" It was all Terr could do not to burst from their cover in the bushes and run to their mother, but they had to keep themself safe. It was exactly what she was trying to do, anyway.

"Terr, please come- Where is my child!?" The sudden change in tone alarmed Terr, and they peeked through a gap in he leaves. Their mother stood ready, hands glowing blue with magic. Ka cowered behind her, quaking in fear as four knolls stalked menacingly towards them. Terr wanted to cry out, to shout that it wasn't safe, but their heart was stopping up their throat.

"What is here?" the front knoll growled in broken Common. "Little elves come for fight?" The knolls all cackled, their laughter scraping down Terr's spine like a rusty blade. "For Grummush, we give to them!" Together, the knolls rapidly closed the distance, barking alien phrases and gesturing wildly to each other. Terr's mother threw bolts of force every which way, but it was no use. Terr almost screamed as a knoll plunged its blade into their mother's stomach. She gasped, trying to form words, and the knolls whooped.

"Don't h-hurt him..." she gasped. "Just- a child... don't..." With one last gasp, her eyes glazed over, and she slid limply from the rusty blade. Ka began to sob, clinging desperately to his mother's lifeless body.

_NO!_ Terr shouted mentally. With every ounce of their being, they willed Ka to run as fast as he could, but their brother only hung on tighter, crying in terror.

"Ha! Grummush great to bring tasty meal," the tallest knoll snarled. "Skka'zk, kill is yours!" The leader grabbed Ka by the hair and pulled him, screaming, to his feet. Yanking his head back roughly, he exposed Ka's neck and held his cutlass out.

"For glory!" he cried. Terr couldn't bear to watch. Covering their eyes, they felt droplets of something warm splatter against their clothing and heard a _thud_ , accompanied by the hideous laughter. "We feast tonight!" the leader cried, and the sounds of the pack disappeared back towards the bonfire that was the town square. Gathering their strength, Terr bolted, dashing past idle knoll watchmen until they reached the safety of the woods. Diving head-first into a patch of ferns, they waited, breath heavy and erratic, for sounds of pursuit.

_Still. Be still, but not rigid. Become as one with the trees. Sway gently. Bend with the wind, but do not break. Sway._

Terr felt rather than heard the group approaching. The crunching of the leaves indicated three or four members, chattering away in a language that would never cease to make them shudder. Placing a hand on the hilt of their scimitar, they waited until the voices had drawn up next to their hiding place.

Without so much as a whisper, Terr spun fluidly from behind the tree and floored two knolls before they had a chance to react. A whirling scimitar blow disemboweled the third, and Terr planted a foot on the one still barely alive. Drawing their scimitar upwards, they smiled triumphantly at the terrified humanoid's face.

"What is it you always say?" Terr asked with mock confusion. "Oh, yes-" Their voice took on a quality even sharper than their blade. _"For glory."_

The deed done, Terr slipped silently into the bushes once again. Three pikes adorned the road, each bearing the head of an unfortunate patrolman. At their base was a rune, simple but elegant, written in the old Elvish script. It meant simply one thing: _Justice_.

Terr Knollsbane Greencloak, Terror of Blueleaf Forest, had struck again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was so hard to avoid gendering Terr. I kept automatically using masculine pronouns. I'll get better with practice. Hopefully.


End file.
